Wheel protector



O 1947- l. R. PLANT ET AL 2 ,4

WHEEL PROTECTOR Filed Feb. 1, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 1. R. PLANT El AL 2,428,469

WHEEL PROTECTOR Oct. 7, 1.947.

Filed Feb. 1, 1945'- 5 Sheets-Sheet s ATTORNEY-5 SMM Patented Oct. 7, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WHEEL PROTECTOR Irvin R, :Plant, North Bergen, and Eugene F.

.llliltenberger. Red Bank, N. J assignorsof onefonrth to William A. Van Siclen, Bayside, N. Y., .andone-fourthto Edward A. schlichting west ApplicationFebruary 1, 1945, Serial No. 575,665

This invention relates to devices for protecting wheels against injury, ,and .is concerned more particularly with a novel.device especiallyadapted for use on the wheelsof airplanes, which are to be transported as a :deckload on ships, to shield the wheels against the corrosive action of S a water. The new device is of simple,:inexpensive construction, light in weight, and easily applied and removed, and it so (encloses the metal parts of .the wheel as "to afford complete protection therefor.

:At the present :time, it is the :common practice to ship certain types of airplanes across the ocean as aideck load on ships. for this purpose, the wings of ,each plane are removed, a protective covering :is placedabout the motor, and the plane is then anchored in ,placeon the 'deckbysuitable means. The wheels of such planes are ordinarily made of magnesium alloys, which are readily .a.t tackedby seawater, and, while flying spray has no harmful effect on :theremaindenof the plane, the wheels have been .found to be seriously corroded during deckshipment. Ithas been pro.- posed heretofore to vprevent .sueh injury by removingithe wheels-andreplacing them'by wooden discs, but such discs, ifof the necessary strength to carry the weight of the plane-and permit it to be moved: about-on-the-dockand=on ship board, are quite unsatisfactory, because'they are heavy and awkward tohandle.

The present invention is, -.accordingly, directed to the provision of .a device for protecting the wheels of airplanes against injury during shipment,whichmaybefipplied toa wheelin a simple operation and,:-ai;ter application,-permits ther-plane to :be freely moved to$its final position. 'Thedevicerr-may be made in differentiorms suitable for wheels of 1 different types and mountings and, in all forms, --affords :the advantages abov.e pointed out.

For a better understanding of :the invention, reference may be :made to the accompanying drawing, in which I ,Fig. Lisa-view, rpartly in vertical section and partly in elevation, of awheelwiththe new protective device in :position;

Fig. 2 .is a partial sectional view showing a modified form of the-device of v Fig. 1;

Figs. ,3 to 6, inclusive, are iragmentary sectional views of modified forms of the device;

,Fig. *7 is "a ifragmentary sectional view of .another form oi zthe device;

r Fi 8 :is a sectional :view-iofrthe lined-4m Fig. 67;

:Fig. 9 is a view similar :to Ii :1 showin a 2 different type of wheel'with the devicein place thereon; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modified mounting for the device.

In Fig. 1, one form of the new protective device is illustrated in operative position on a wheel, which comprises a rim l0, spokes H, and a hub l2, which is mounted on an axle I13 secured to the lower end of astrut 14. The hub is formed with a brake drum l5 containing brake mechanism, which is actuated by means contained in a smaller drum I6 fast on the axle and controlled by a rod H. The wheel carries the pneumatic tire indicated at l8.

The protective device used with the wheel illustrated includes a disc [9 formed with a peripheral flange 20, the inner diameter of which isslightly greater than the outer diameter of rim ll]. Disc I9 is applied to the outer face of the wheel with its flange bearing against the side of the tireand, when the disc is in place, the entire outer face of the wheel is enclosed. The device also includes an inner disc 2!, which is formed with an outer peripheral flange 22 similar to fiange20 and bearing on the side wall of the tire, when the disc is in position. The disc 2| has a central opening defined by a flange 23 extending in the opposite direction from flange 22. The diameter of the opening through disc 2 l is such that, when the disc is in position, flange 23 lies in the space between the opposed edges of drums l5 and IS. A rubber gasket ring 24 is seated on the outer face of flange 23and bears against the adjacent edge of drum Hi to seal the opening between flange 23 and the-edge of drum IS.

The discs are held in position in any desired way, and,-in the construction illustrated-bolts 25 are passed through openings in the discs. Each bolt has a head 2-6 lying at an angle to the stem of the bolt, so that the under surface of the head may lie parallel to the inwardly extending portion 2| a of inner disc 2|. At its outer end. the bolt is provided with a nut2'l and a washer 28. Rubber gaskets 29, 30 are seated beneath head 25 and washer 28, respectively, to prevent moisture from entering the interior oflthe wheel around the bolt openings.

Discs I19 and 2| may be'made of any suitable material, such as metals or plastics, but, for most purposes, metal is preferred. The metal used may be any ordinary type, such as sheet steel, and-the outer faces of the discs may be painted or otherwise treated to resist corrosion. The discs illustrated .inJFie. :1, if made .of met lrc nshe p oduced by a standard spinning operation and the manufacture of such discs requires little investment for tools.

In the use of the protective device shown in Fig. 1, the wheel is removed from the axle and the inner disc 21 and gasket 24 are slipped over the axle, the gasket preferably being passed beyond drum l6 and wrapped around the strut.

The wheel is then put back on the axle and secured in place and the two discs are moved up against the faces of the wheel and secured together by the bolts. With the parts in this con dition, the plane can be moved about as desired.

When it is in its final resting place, the gasket 24 is slipped back over drum l6 and into the position shown in Fig. 1, where it bears against flange 23 and the adjacent end of drum [6. 'Withthe device in this condition, all of the metal parts of V edges.

in that form of the device shown in Fig. i, the inner disc was formed by a spinning operation and, because of its conical portion Zia, the bolts used are of special construction, in that their heads lie at anangle to the bolt stems. The use struction' illustrated in Fig. 2, in which the inner disc 3| is formed with recesses 32 having flat faces 33 lying parallelto the flat, central portion of the 1 of such special bolts may be avoided by the conouter disc l9. When such an inner disc is used,

bolts 34 maybe of the stand ard type and have heads 35, which'lie at right angles to the stems of the bolts. As before, a rubber gasket 36 is placed under the head of each bolt before the bolt is tightened up. The inner disc @I shown in Fig. 2 maybe made of any of the materials previously referred to, but, becauseof the provision of the recesses 32 it can not be made by spinning but must be formed by tion.

In the'construction shown in Fig. 3, the inner and outer discs 21, 38, respectively, are connected together by bolts 39 and each bolt has an angularly disposed head 46, which bears against a gasket llin contact with'theinner disc. The outer discis formed with openings defined by inward; ly coned flanges 42 and in each opening is seated the head 43 of a nut M, into which the end of the bolt is threaded. The head 43 is provided with a screw driver slot 45. 'With, this construction, no

gasket need beernployed under th 'end'of nut outer faces of the flanges 42 before the'nuts are placed in position. a W p In the constructionshown in'Fig. 4, the inner disc 46 is formed with recesses 41 having flat bottoms 48 and an'internally threaded block '49 is secured to the inner surface of the bottom Q8 of each recess. The innerdisc 46 and outer disc 50 are then held inlplaceon the wheel by bolts 5!,

a stamping or pressing opera neath the head of each bolt and a asket 5'! lie between the washer and the outer face of disc 56.

In the construction shown in Fig. 6, the bolts are dispensed with and both the inner'and outer discs 58, 59, respectively, are provided with spring clips fiilywhich are secured'to the inner faces of the disc in any suitable manner, such as welding,

and are so shaped that they will slip through the openings between the spokes 6| of the wheel and engage behind the inner edges of the rim 62;

V In eachof the constructions above described, both the inner and outer discs are provided with 'outerperipheral flanges which bear against the,

tire. In theconstruction shown in Fig; '7, the discs 63,, do not have such flanges and gaskets 65, 66 are interposed between the 'outer'surface of the rimand the inner surfaces of the respective, discs. The discs may beheld in place by bolts similar to any of those above described, or

by hooks 61 which are engaged with the spokes 68 of the'w'hel. Eachh'ook is threaded and held in place by a nut 69'beari'ng against the washer 10, which in tur'n be ars against a gasket H in contact with the outer'face of a disc. Withthe Fig. '7 construction, small'portions of the rim of the wheel are exposedand these'may be protected by a coating of suitable material. 'It is-to be understood that hooks 61 maybe used with any of the other constructionsif desired. r

The construction shown in Fig. '9' is intended to be used with a wheel, such as the tail wheel 1 of an airplane, which rotates freely on an axle and is not provided with abr'akeb The'wheel in cludes a rim (2, on which is seated a pneumatic tire 13; and. the rim is connected by spokes 14 to a hub 15 mounted on axle 16 carried by a strut l7. The protective device includes an outer discv 18 formed 'with aperipheral flange T9 of greater i innerdiameter than the outer diameter of the rim,"so that when the disc is in plac'e the flange will bear against the side wall of the tire. The

disc may be held in position byany of the means 7 used with other constructions or by screws .60

.thre'aded'into tappedopenings in the wheelrim. I Each'screw' is provided with a head 81 beneath whichis placed washer 82 and 7 a gasket 83 indie rect contact with the disc. 1

, The inner disc all or the device is formed with a central opening through which the axle extends, and a gasket 85 of suitable compressible material, such as a rubber compound. is interposed 7 between the inner edge of disc 84 and the adjacent face of the wheel hub. Preferably, the gas:-

ket fits the axletightly so as to prevent the entrance of moisture along. the axle intofthe space within thewh eel. Disc 84 isprovided with an outer peripheral flange*86 which bears against 44, although it is desirable to apply grease'to the which are passed through openings in the outer 55 withlflat under surfaces, asQshown in Fig. '5.

When bolts 54 are used, a washer 56 placed bediscand threaded into blocks 39. 'Each opening in the disc 50 is reamed and each bolt has a head 7 52 which fits snugly in the opening and is pro- 'Vided with a screw driver'slot 53. If desired, the bolts 5f maybe replaced byboltsifi having heads into tapped openings in the wheel rim.

the wall of the tireand the'disc is held in place by screws 8! similar to screws and threaded The V inner and outerfdiscs' 1s, 84 0f the T Fig. a

construction can be held in place by hooks instead of screws, as shown in Fig. 10. "Each hook 88' has" -an inner end 89" which can be 'engaged behind' the inner face of one of the spokes of the wheel;

The hook passes through an open'in'gin the disc and at its outer end, carries-a nut 90 bearing against a washer which in turn bears against f V a gasketl9 2 in contactwiththe outer-faceof the V: 1

disc.

f V In each of the preferred constructions, 'the'discs are formed with outer-"flanges bearing against. the side walls of the tire and th'e discs are 'of such form that,"when theyare secured in posi-f tion, the flange is pressed 'tightlyfagainst the tire sothat a good seal is formed. In each .instan'ce, the outer disc is of solid construction, while the inner disc has an opening through which the axle-extends. The manner in which the inner disc is sealed .on the axle dependshn the .wheel construction, butgasket means aregprovidedzsoasto prevent the entrance of moisture into the interior of the .wheel.

We claim:

1. A protective device for a wheel provided with a pneumatic tire and mounted on an axle, which comprises an outer disc mounted on the outer face of the wheel, the disc having a rim bearing on the outer side of the tire, an inner open center disc mounted against the inner face of the wheel with the axle extending through the opening in the disc, the inner disc having an outer rim bearing on the inner side of the tire, a member mounted on the axle and extending close to the edge of the opening through the inner disc, means for securing the discs in position, and means for sealing the space between the inner disc and said member.

2. A protective device for a wheel provided with a pneumatic tire and mounted on an axle, which comprises an outer disc mounted on the outer face of the wheel and having a rim bearing on the outer side of the tire, an open center disc mounted against the inner face of the wheel with the axle extending through the opening in the disc, the inner disc having an outer rim bearing on the inner side of the tire, a member mounted on the axle and extending close to the edge of the opening through the inner disc, means for sealing the space between the inner disc and said member, and means engaging the discs and extending through the wheel for securing the discs in place.

3. A protective device for a wheel provided with a pneumatic tire and mounted on an axle, which comprises an outer disc mounted on the outer face of the wheel and having a rim bearing on the outer side of the tire, an open center disc mounted against the inner face of the wheel with the axle extending through the opening in the disc, the inner disc having an outer rim hearing on the inner side of the tire, a member mounted on the axle and extending close to the edge of the opening through the inner disc, means for sealing the space between the inner disc and said member, bolts engaging the discs and extending through the wheel for securing the discs in place.

4. A protective device for a wheel provided with a pneumatic tire and mounted on an axle,

which comprises an outer disc mounted on the outer face of the wheel and having a rim bearing on the outer side of the tire, an open center disc mounted against the inner face of the wheel with the axle extending through the opening in the disc, the inner disc having an outer rim bearing on the inner side of the tire, a member mounted on the axle and extending close to the edge of the opening through the inner disc, means for sealing the space between the inner edge of the inner disc and said member, and means passing through the discs and engaging the wheel for securing the discs in place.

5. A protective device for a wheel provided with a pneumatic tire and mounted on an axle, which comprises an outer disc mounted on the outer face of the wheel and having a rim bearing on the outer side of the tire, an open center disc mounted against the inner face of the wheel with the axle extending through the opening in i6 the disc, thednnerdisc-having an outer rim bearing on the inner side of the tire, a member mounted on the axle and-extending closetothe edge o'f-the open-ing-throu-ghthe inner disc, means for sealing thespace between the 'innerdisc-and said member, and means engaged behind portionsof'the "wheel and with the discs for holding them in place.

*6. A protective device-for a wheel provided-with a pneumatic tire and mounted on an axle carrying a drum, which comprises an outer disc mounted against the outer face of the wheel and having a rim bearing against the side of the tire, an inner open center disc mounted against the inner face of the wheel with the axle extending through the opening, the inner disc having an outer rim bearing against the side of the tire and a flange surrounding the opening and lying close to the drum, means for sealing the space between the flange and the drum, and means for securing the discs in place.

7. A protective device for a wheel provided with a pneumatic tire and mounted on an axle carrying a drum, which comprises an outer disc mounted against the outer face of the wheel and having a rim bearing against the side of the tire, an inner open center disc mounted against the inner face of the wheel with the axle extending through the opening, the inner disc having an outer rim bearing against the side of the tire and a flange surrounding the opening and lying close to the drum, a sealing ring of resilient material closing the space between the flange and the drum, and means for securing the discs in place.

8. A protective device for a wheel provided with' a pneumatic tire and mounted on an axle carry ing a drum, which comprises an outer disc mounted against the outer face of the wheel and having a rim bearing against the side of the tire, an inner open center disc mounted against the inner face of the wheel with the axle extending through the opening, the inner disc having an outer rim bearing against the side of the tire and a flange surrounding the opening and lying close to the drum, means for sealing the space between the flange and the drum, and bolts extending through the wheel and engaging the discs to hold them in place.

9. A protective device for a wheel provided with a pneumatic tire and mounted on an axle carrying a drum, which comprises an outer disc mounted against the outer face of the wheel and having a rim bearing against the side of the tire, an inner open center disc mounted against the inner face of the wheel with the axle extending through the opening, the inner disc having an outer rim bearing against the side of the tire and a flange surrounding the opening and lying close to the drum, means for sealing the space between the flange and the drum, and members engaging portions of the wheel and the discs for holding the discs in place.

' IRVIN R. PLANT.

EUGENE F. MILTENBERGER.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Blair June 24, 1919 Number (Other references on following page) Number Hamilton Aug. 27, 1935 Number 5 Number Name Dat Sinclair Oct. 8, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Country 7 Date Great Britain Jan. 15, 1923 Great Britain Apr. 14, 1921 Great Britain May 11,1922 

